Mike Bohn to be USC's Next Athletic Director

It appears that USC’s search for an athletic director may finally be over.

Reports emerged Friday morning that current University of Cincinnati athletic director, Mike Bohn has agreed to come to Los Angeles and succeed Lynn Swann as USC’s head of athletics.

The hiring comes as a pleasant development for USC fans who have long asked for a candidate who did not have ties to USC. Other than Mike McGee, who also came over from Cincinnati in the 1980s, Bohn would be the only director to hold that distinction. Additionally, Bohn has many years of experience as an AD. He previously spent time at Idaho, Colorado, and San Diego State before taking over the reins at Cincinnati. Bohn’s chief revenue officer, Brandon Sosna is also reportedly joining Bohn in Troy.

At Cincinnati, Bohn was most known for hiring Luke Fickell, a former Ohio State assistant to help turn its football program around. The Bearcats hold a 21-11 record since that hire, including 17-3 over the last two seasons.

With Bohn’s hiring, Clay Helton’s fate as USC’s coach also becomes a bigger point of focus. Interm AD Dave Roberts and president Carol Folt have insisted that they were going to let the new AD make a decision, and Bohn’s reported hiring now suggest that a decision could be coming soon.

If nothing else, the hiring seems to be a step forward for an athletic department that has struggled to generate positive reviews for a few years. Bohn will be tasked with cleaning up a department that has been plagued by scandal and struggled to find consistency over the last few years.